This unfortunate and unique incident occurred when Jo Ann Nickerson, a 72 year-old customer at Blush Salon who had just gotten her nails done, suffered a serious reaction/injury as a result of eating and ingesting THC that was contained in cookies that were served at the salon on October 4, 2013. Ms. Nickerson grabbed a home baked cookie on the way out of the salon, and within one hour developed a severe reaction including hallucinations, rapid heartbeat, confusion, disorientation, lightheadedness, wooziness, blurred vision, tingling, headache and nausea. She was unable to speak or had delayed speech.

Ms. Nickerson thought she was having a heart attack or stroke, so her son in law took her to the emergency department at West Hills Hospital. Upon admission and examination, Ms. Nickerson’s complaints of weakness, nausea, dizziness and chills were noted. It was noted that she felt confused, disoriented, and had trouble concentrating and she complained of mild abdominal pain. Following a lab panel which included drug testing, Ms. Nickerson was found to be positive for THC. The doctors concluded that she was poisoned from the cookie she ate since that was the only thing she ingested all day.

The salon denied responsibility without out explanation and its insurer denied the claim. Our office filed suit on August 19, 2014 for negligence, strict liability and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

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DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

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